ArtDayME: Qatar has revealed its ownership of Gustave Courbet’s iconic self-portrait Le Désespéré (The Desperate Man, 1843–45), now on view at Paris’s Musée d’Orsay for the first time in 17 years. The painting, a cornerstone of Courbet’s early work, will remain on display in France for five years before moving to its new home in Doha, according to Agence France-Presse.

At the Musée d’Orsay, Courbet’s piercing gaze now joins his other celebrated masterpieces, including The Stone Breakers (1849) and The Origin of the World (1866). The self-portrait was last shown in France during the 2007–2008 Courbet retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, which later traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musée Fabre in Montpellier. It was also exhibited at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt in 2010–2011.

When displayed at London’s National Gallery in 2006, the painting was listed as being on loan from an unknown private collector, with the support of the French bank BNP Paribas. It was later acquired by Qatar Museums, the state organization overseeing the nation’s cultural institutions. Details of the acquisition, including the purchase price, remain undisclosed.

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums and sister to the country’s ruler, confirmed Qatar’s ownership during a tribute at the Musée d’Orsay honoring the late Sylvain Amic. “In his memory, we unveiled Gustave Courbet’s Le Désespéré, a painting that will be on long-term loan from the future Art Mill Museum Collection to the Musée d’Orsay until our museum opens,” she wrote on Instagram. “It will then travel between our institutions, reflecting Sylvain’s belief that art must travel and be shared to inspire the world.”

The revelation comes as Qatar’s art scene undergoes a major transformation. The Art Mill Museum, set to open in 2030, is envisioned as the country’s flagship institution for international modern and contemporary art. Designed by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena and developed by Qatar Museums in Doha, it represents a key step in the nation’s cultural expansion.

Listed among ARTnews’s Top 200 Collectors, Sheikha Al Mayassa is one of the world’s most influential buyers of contemporary art and oversees acquisitions for Qatar Museums.